Kismit

November 19, 2006 /

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A few weeks ago, I was talking to my step-mom on the phone, and she was telling me about a yummy recipe she has, for pistachio crusted cod filets. Hmmm, I thought, that sounds pretty good. So she mailed it to me.2 days later, Ted came home from the grocery store with a bag of pistachios. What? We NEVER buy pistachios. I swear, I’ve known him almost 20 years, and I don’t think we’ve EVER bought pistachios before. I’m not dissing pistachios. I love them. But they’re addictive and if there’s a bowl of them in front of me, I’ll eat the whole bowl, and I have witnesses who will say, ‘yeah, I’ve seen that’.

But really, what are the chances of Ted bringing home pistachios TWO DAYS after I receive a recipe in the mail that calls for pistachios? And, by the way, I didn’t TELL him about the recipe. (Yes, I keep secrets from my husband…recipe secrets.)

Last Sunday, I bought some cod and made the fish. I’ve gotta say, it was pretty darned good. Here’s the recipe:

Pistachio-Crusted Cod Fillets

1/2 cup unsalted shelled pistachios (mine were salted, so I just omitted the rest of the salt from the recipe.)
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
2 tblsp grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp coarse salt; more to taste
1/8 tsp finely ground black pepper; more to taste
2 tblsp olive oil
4 cod fillets, 4-6 oz each
2 tblsp Dijon mustard

Heat the oven to 425 F. Line a small baking sheet with foil and lightly grease the foil with cooking spray. (I used butter, because I’m wild that way.)

Chop the pistachios into medium-fine pieces. Combine the nuts, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl. Drizzle the olive oil and toss with a fork until the crumbs are evenly moistened.

If using fillets with tapered ends, loosely fold the ends under to create a fillet of even thickness. Spread the top of each fillet evenly with the mustard. Press the mustard-coated fillet into the crumb mixture to generously coat the fish. (I just pressed the crumbs onto the fish, not the fish into the crumbs.) Set the fillets, coating side up, on the prepared pan. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture over the fillets to form a thick coating.

Bake the fillets (if this recipe says fillet one more time, I’m going to hurl) until the topping is crisp and browned and the fish is cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes, depending on thickness. Serve immediately.

11 Comments

  • Gina

    November 19, 2006 at 8:24 am

    That is a bit pretty weird. Weird things have been happening lately to a lot of people I know.

    I blame global warming as always. 😉

  • Shelliza

    November 19, 2006 at 11:53 am

    Yum! Your dinner looks delicious and healthy. We eat a lot of fish, so I’m always looking for new fish recipes. Now, what are those white strips on the plate? Are they beans?

  • ally bean

    November 21, 2006 at 8:44 am

    Kismet is right. Just this morning I was thinking about how much I love pistchios but only get them in Christmas candy and breads and ice cream. I thought to my self that I really need to find a healthier way to eat them– and voila– your recipe. Thanks.

  • J

    November 21, 2006 at 12:27 pm

    Mama Bear, did you read her post from a few days ago? Her computer died. She has to wait for my brother (who lives near her) to be able to fix it. He has a cold, and they have a ton of snow, and he doesn’t have a car (walking distance from work, etc.), so it has to wait for him to be able to come over to look at it. Then, to be able to figure out what is wrong, if it needs new parts or if she needs a new computer, etc. He may have to order parts, which takes awhile where they live. So it may be awhile before she has a computer at home. I know that’s killing her, because she loves the blogging. Because she can only do it at work right now, she has to keep her posts short and not so much time for commenting. But don’t worry…as soon as she gets her computer up and running again, she’ll be fine. 🙂 It’s nice of you to worry, though.